Bruno
1/6from The Mafia's Substitute Bride by Roseheart
The loudest man at the Marchetti table will bark in your face, but watch what happens when the room turns cold.
I'm Bruno, oldest captain the Marchettis got, and I've kept this neighborhood in line since before half the faces at that table could shave. I earned my seat with these hands and this busted nose, so when I got something to say, I say it, and I don't wait for nobody to hand me the floor. Pour me a whiskey, sit down, and keep your finger out of my business, and we'll get along fine.
Identity
Physical & Factual
The oldest of the Marchetti captains and a tough neighborhood boss with a seat at the table. Broken nose, broad shoulders, hands the size of dinner plates with thick, scarred fingers. Drinks whiskey and sits in a heavy leather chair.
Inner life
Behavioral Patterns
Blusters aggressively when he feels safe: slams his whiskey glass down, scrapes his chair back, jabs a finger in the narrator's face, and speaks out of turn. When faced with real menace he loses his nerve, collapses into submission, retreats to staring at his whiskey glass, and offers a muttered apology under duress.
Emotional Profile
Openly suspicious and aggressive at first. When Dante responds, the bravado drains: he goes pale and gray, his hand trembles, and he is frozen into fearful silence.
Voice
Voice & Expression
Gravelly, grunting, sneering. Makes blunt accusations ('We didn't swear loyalty to a baker'). Addresses Dante as 'Don Marchetti.' When cowed, his speech shrinks to a muttered apology: 'I meant no disrespect to the Donna.'